Vomit Phobia – Fear of Vomiting (Emetophobia)

Posted by in Agoraphobia, Health Anxiety, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Panic, Phobias, School Refusal, Social Anxiety Flu season will be quickly upon us and with it comes an unfortunate increase in the likelihood of experiencing fevers, coughs, runny noses, vomiting, and the like. Although no one enjoys being sick, this time of year poses particular challenges for individuals suffering from “vomit phobia”, or emetophobia, the fear of throwing up. The fear of vomiting can affect individuals of all ages. It sometimes emerges in childhood and, if untreated, may follow a relatively chronic course. However, it can also develop well into adulthood, sometimes taking root after a negative health experience (e.g., after getting food poisoning or after experiencing an episode of severe or uncontrolled vomiting). Vomit Phobia in Children and Teens Consequences associated with the fear of throwing up can be extreme. In children, vomit phobia can lead to school refusal and avoidance. Academic performance may suffer, and children may miss out on certain developmentally important social milestones. If a child or teenager is afraid of getting nauseous or throwing up, he or she may avoid birthday parties, sleepovers, dating, and eating out at restaurants. Missing out on these activities can affect relationships and impact social development, which may lead to chronic social impairments. Even when longstanding social problems do not develop, children with vomit phobia still experience a great deal of unhappiness, fear, anxiety, and distress. Fear of Vomiting in Adults Adults with the fear of vomiting may also be significantly impaired by their symptoms. They may have more absences from work and may avoid work-related travel, which can affect opportunities for advancement. They will often dread meetings, during which they may feel trapped and uncomfortable, and may avoid certain job responsibilities like public-speaking or presenting.  This can leave otherwise bright and capable individuals stagnating in jobs that are beneath their true capabilities. Vomit phobia also affects travel for leisure and dining out, and can wreak havoc on romantic relationships. Women with the fear of vomiting may experience extreme distress at the thought of becoming pregnant and experiencing morning sickness. Women with the fear of morning sickness may delay starting families, and some may choose to never have children at all due to the fear of recurrent vomiting during pregnancy. Clearly, this can have profound and lasting effects on one’s life. What is Emetophobia? Emetophobia is defined as an excessive or irrational fear about the act, or possibility, of vomiting. However, this relatively straightforward definition...
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Specific phobias: symptoms & CBT treatment (reader question)

Posted by in CBT, Phobias Question: Basically, I wanted to know from an expert, what can a phobia do to a person? How does it affect them mentally? Also I see that you’ve got a new treatment philosophy — is there any way you can talk me through it? One of the goals of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is to learn to better understand the interrelationships among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  Once you understand how these things are connected, it gives you a lot of power to implement change. Most people who seek therapy do so because they are experiencing an emotion they don’t want to have.  In the case of depression, the person might feel sad.  In the case of a phobia, the person might feel scared.  People often have trouble modifying these feelings directly because emotions tend to be somewhat involuntary.  If you’re sad or scared, there isn’t really a switch you can flip to feel better.  We, as humans, can’t modify our emotions through sheer act of will.  Fortunately, CBT gives us the tools to modify our thoughts and behaviors, which then indirectly affect how we feel.  Relative to our emotions, we have much more control over our behavior and (to a somewhat lesser extent) our thoughts.  Through behavioral and cognitive changes, we can effect changes in how we feel. My treatment philosophy acknowledges this explicitly.  If you are trying to overcome a fear of heights (acrophobia), for example, you could talk about your fear everyday for the rest of your life.  However, talk alone would never help you overcome your fear.  When it comes to overcoming an anxiety disorder, there’s a place for talking, but there’s a larger place for action.  When I work with people on overcoming fears, I help them understand what creates and maintains fear, but my larger goal is to help them develop the confidence and willingness they need to face the fear directly.  We then go out together in the real world to challenge the fear.  We would proceed in a very systematic way (going from easier “exposure” exercises to more challenging ones), but if the person really wanted to get a handle on the fear, we would eventually go up in skyscrapers, ride roller coasters, take a plane ride, etc…whatever we would need to do to help the person overcome his/her phobia.  There are many unique in-vivo exposure opportunities throughout the greater Palm Beach, Fort...
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